I met a fellow BDer!!

[A Little Green]

Originally Posted by Lommy

On a famous square whose name I forgot in San Fransisco...

Psst... it's Union Square!

Looking at the group photos, I figured that there is a striking similarity between Inzil and Agan if you ignore the difference in skin colour. Is there a family secret I haven't been told?

Originally Posted by Kath

Excellent! So she'll be coming to England first?

Wishful thinking, love. I have a way better solution in mind: she comes to Finland, and you and Rune can come too! Problem solved. I'm a genius.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Looking at the group photos, I figured that there is a striking similarity between Inzil and Agan if you ignore the difference in skin colour. Is there a family secret I haven't been told?

I know on my father's side my European ancestors were English and Swiss. I know very little about my mother's forebears though. For all I know there might be Finnish blood there somewhere.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

OK, you travel-happy Finns - who's coming to Oxonmoot in September? Since I missed you in the States, I'd love to meet you there! After all, it's THE original Moot!

[Rikae]

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Psst... it's Union Square!

Looking at the group photos, I figured that there is a striking similarity between Inzil and Agan if you ignore the difference in skin colour. Is there a family secret I haven't been told?

Haha, I had the same thought!

I also seem to have a long-lost Canadian brother - which makes one of my Barrowdowns heroes... my mom?

Nog, I like your very observant commentary about everyone - I remember thinking when you were here that you had a bit of the air of a professor grading a presentation. I wish we had more opportunity to talk with you, though you seem to have given me a passing grade anyway!

Agan, Lommy and Greenie are three of the most lovely people I've met ... they have a wonderful blend of sweetness and naughtiness. Agan, who I always found a bit intimidating on the 'downs, I felt as though I could especially relate to; Lommy was very sweet and open (though she found everything disGUSting ), and Greenie reminded me of a wood nymph or some such mythological creature, communing with nature (I wish I had a photo of her in Watkins Glen - she looked as if she belonged there.)

Though the Finns stayed with us for a good while, I didn't get nearly as much time with them as I would have liked. Luckily, I'll be dragged to Germany some time in the next couple years, so I'm sure we can make it to Finland and see them again.

[Encaitare]

Originally Posted by Fea

Can I just say we are one darned attractive group of people?

Our brains and personalities don't matter; we're gorgeous!

I have to agree! Love all the photos, we really are just a devastatingly attractive bunch. The picture from Niagara falls is great!

You Finn-folk are just too sweet. Thank you for all your kind words.

So, now for my account of things... my one-to-one encounters with Lommy, Nog, Greenie & Agan were fairly limited before this. I think I played WW with a couple of them, and Lommy and I have been LiveJournal friends for some time, but there was never much direct interaction. I felt like I was coming in cold, but I have always had such positive experiences meeting BDers that I wasn't worried at all. Plus, Brinn was with them, and we've already met a few times, so I almost saw her as a little bridge to help us get to know each other.

Fortunately, we didn't need much help at all! Everyone struck me as warm, funny, and clever. On the first day, we did a lot of walking around various parts of the city. We hit the Museum of Modern Art, which I think everyone enjoyed a lot, and also made it all the way down to Wall Street and the South Street Seaport, neither of which I had been to before. We played Apples to Apples that night at the apartment, and I had a nice chat with the girls while Brinn and Nog went on a food/drink run. I really enjoyed just getting to hang out and talk, I wish we'd had a little more down time like that! Definitely next time, yes?

The second day, we took a nice walk around Central Park. Brinn was a great guide since she had worked there last summer, so she knew the nice places to go. It's such a beautiful park but I rarely spend any time there; it was great to enjoy the day and hear lots of musicians performing around the grounds. That evening we went for an Italian dinner -- when we were considering the restaurant, a man came out and sang the praises of its wine and olive oil, and I guess he thought my lack of response beyond a smile and nod meant I was foreign, and he asked me "Parlez-vous Francais?" I do not speak a word of French, and I don't know why he thought I might! Then he told me just how good the wine was, and said "I would use stronger language, but we're in front of your children." WHAT? This man was obviously crazy, haha. After the dinner we saw the Broadway show "Next to Normal," which I went in knowing nothing about but enjoyed very much.

It was a fun two days with some lovely people whom it was a pleasure to see again or get to know!

Also, I think there's something in the water in Finland that makes beautiful ladies! I'm surprised the tourism rate isn't higher.